Well, if this is any indication of Hawkman's popularity, I guess this movie will tank, or won't even get greenlit. This news has been up all day and so far, no new threads have been started, hardly anyone is talking about it, and the Hype has yet to even mention it on the main page. Considering they'll throw a story up there about the Old Spice guy making a lame "please pay attention and cast me" teaser to play Luke Cage, I'm guessing that very few people are interested in a Hawkman movie.

Shame... there's a lot of potential there. He's pretty much DC's Thor equivalent. But I suppose he's never caught on quite the way some other heroes have, for whatever reason. I was always partial to the Katar Hol version, but I guess that was probably because that's the version that was around when I first got into comics. Plus, his costume was SO much cooler (IMO). I loved the body armor look.

I think a Hawkman film can be successful with a good compelling story and a solid director. Another key would be to have budget discipline and keep the budget around 85 million.

Heck, if Marvel can make multiple Ghost Rider films with Cage as the lead and multiple Fantastic Four films, then WB's/DCE should know what to do and what not to do when getting a potential Hawkman film going.

Well, if this is any indication of Hawkman's popularity, I guess this movie will tank, or won't even get greenlit. This news has been up all day and so far, no new threads have been started, hardly anyone is talking about it, and the Hype has yet to even mention it on the main page. Considering they'll throw a story up there about the Old Spice guy making a lame "please pay attention and cast me" teaser to play Luke Cage, I'm guessing that very few people are interested in a Hawkman movie.

Shame... there's a lot of potential there. He's pretty much DC's Thor equivalent. But I suppose he's never caught on quite the way some other heroes have, for whatever reason. I was always partial to the Katar Hol version, but I guess that was probably because that's the version that was around when I first got into comics. Plus, his costume was SO much cooler (IMO). I loved the body armor look.

I think in these kinds of situations (where the character is not popular) you should be allowed to reinvent them to some degree, but what is most important is to find an audience that would appreciate the story or find a story that would suit a type of market and tailor the character and the franchise to that audience. Hawkman would fall into the action/fantasy/romance/adventure genre, which is pretty good sized market. If you could tailor the story more towards fantasy and romance, you could attract the fantasy buff and a good number of females (which would make up half your audience, by the way). Exploiting the reincarnation aspect of Hawkman and the romantic relationship between Carter and Shayera could do that. You would have to test to see what size a market would appreciate this and then scale your budget up or down to fit that market size (and insure that you don't lose your shirt in the process).

Yeah, I think that a good way to do this film would be to play up the team aspect... there could be some romance between Hawkman and Hawkwoman but they could also be a badass duo. I think that would appeal to both male and female audiences because each would have a hero they can relate to. As for which version of the character they should do... I suppose they all have their merits but it's probably best to go with the more mystic version, rather than the alien cop version.

I think a Hawkman film can be successful with a good compelling story and a solid director. Another key would be to have budget discipline and keep the budget around 85 million.

Heck, if Marvel can make multiple Ghost Rider films with Cage as the lead and multiple Fantastic Four films, then WB's/DCE should know what to do and what not to do when getting a potential Hawkman film going.

Well said. Tightening the belt is so important for a film like Hawkman. If it's successful, they could increase the budget for each subsequent film.

Look at the original X-Men trilogy; the budget for the first movie was 75 million, and the final movie had a 200 million dollar budget. If DC played their cards right, that could happen with Hawkman.

Rob Lowe could perhaps be interesting but I fear he will be considered too old

After some thinking, I think John Carpenter may be the man for this. Directing-wise, that is. I have seen some of his work, and I like it. He's not only the "horror guy", he's done action too.
Do you think Warner bros will have trust in him, supporting the project with money for special effects and a handful of great actors while he focus on the script and the visual style (and perhaps adds a couple of "Carpenter darlings")?
It's been some years since he was a heavy-hitter, after all. And Hawkman has to make a lot of money.
I can only say that 20-25 years ago, Kurt Russell would have played the role. For sure!

If Hawkman comes out 2013 together with Flash, I wonder which one of them who gets the biggest success. Scarlet Speedster seems to be an easy winner here, but who knows if our Winged Avenger can be a surprise hit (like Thor & Iron Man).

EDIT: Seems strange to me that WB prefers the egyptian route rather than the alien one. Cosmic heroes are the new thing these days, with both Thor and Green Lantern during 2011, Avengers next summer (and to a certain degree: the second Fantastic Four film a few years ago).
Perhaps they listened to my advice and will save Thanagar for the sequel, Hawkman II. Hahaha

Yes, Lowe would be to old, but I would choose him over Anthony Michael Hall (better looking guy). I have no problem with the Egyptian storyline, since the original Golden Age tale is classic and could easily stand alone by itself as a great story to be adapted to film. The parallels to Indiana Jones are definitely there in that Carter Hall is considered a leader in the field of history and archaeology (not unlike Indiana Jones) and his mastery of weapons and tactics (through the memory of his reincarnations) makes him a perfect action hero. Since it looks like the studio is looking for a writer and suggesting that the film is also part "Da Vinci Code", can I suggest that a person like Dan Brown be the writer or at least be consulted on the matter? I admire his ability to research in depth about history while interlacing it with a fictional conspiracy, and would be a great person to research into Egyptology and marry that into the story. Just like the Superman franchise treated Mario Puzo, Brown could be used to write the treatment that can then be rewritten/massaged for the film by another writer. Also the fact that Brown's name would be tied to the project may attract his fans to watch the film (the "Da Vinci Code" grossed over $750 million at the box office). This could work (you were right about nixing the alien aspect of the character) and you could possibly be talking about a production budget between $125 to $185 million now. I still think that there needs to be some type of explanation about the properties of Nth metal since it is very mysterious in the comics (and Dan Brown might be the guy that could explain it well).

I have no problem with the nth metal being a mystery. Carter and some other professor can ask themselves if it's alien, just as people like to come up with theories that visitors from space helped the egyptians build the pyramids.

But if it's going to be a trilogy, I think Thanagar must come into the equation sooner or later, and the hero's true name Katar Hol. After the success of Thor, and we hope the same for GL, then Warner will know that the cosmic element is nothing to fear.

I have no problem with the nth metal being a mystery. Carter and some other professor can ask themselves if it's alien, just as people like to come up with theories that visitors from space helped the egyptians build the pyramids.

But if it's going to be a trilogy, I think Thanagar must come into the equation sooner or later, and the hero's true name Katar Hol. After the success of Thor, and we hope the same for GL, then Warner will know that the cosmic element is nothing to fear.

I agree.
An Erich von Daniken Ancient Astronauts approach would be a great way to introduce Thanagarians to the DC Film Universe.

it would be great to see carpenter back in the saddle again. i liked some of your earlier suggestions of joe dante and john landis. either them or somebody with those classic hollywood/ speilbergian sensibilities like john favreau or joe jonston.

DarkSovereignty: From what I have heard, Carpenter, Dante and Landis are all trying to make comebacks with new projects.
I read somewhere that Carpenter did not like new action films because of the editing, that it often is cutting too fast in the fighting sequences to cover up weaknesses among the people behind the films (stuntmen/actors, camera angles etc). Then I wonder if he's right for a superhero adaption. It's just something about Hawkman that seems right for Carpenter. Perhaps I only imagine things that aren't real?

Carpenter could do it in the old classic way, like how they made action flics decades ago, but give a modern feel to it - how does that sound?

OH, for some reason I just came to think of Public Enemies.... should Michael Mann do Hawkman? I don't know, it's confusing.

yeah i've heard middling/luke warm things about it. not a masterpiece, but not horrible from what i've heard. i've always preferred carpenter to the likes of his peers like wes craven (who i never really got the appeal of, not a fan of the elm street series or anything else he's done, except red eye, but that's because of cillian murpheys performance).

What about Jerry O'Connell? He's quite a tall guy now, with the looks of a leading man. Maybe he's too much seen as a goofy dude, but he's done other stuff too. A crime series, just to mention something

Hawkman needs to be a tall character. He looked a little short on Smallville.
And O'Connell is in fact younger than Michael Shanks.

I could see him as an archeologist, being an archeologist isn't the problem. It's the having a temper and flying around hitting **** in the face with a mace that I can't see him doing. He's more the guy you could hang out with and make jokes, I think Hawkman's demeanor should be one of a person you don't want to slip up and say the wrong thing around.

DarkSoverignty: So you haven't got bigger faith in Hawkman than "Price of Persia quality"?
It all depends on whoever makes the film, of course it does. I claim that as a fact. If not, then Roland Emmerich should have made LOTR.
And Mike Newell showed that he can't do better than that in this particular genre/style.
I much rather see Stephen Sommers do it, because his two Mummy films are a lot better than PoP.
But mostly I want John Carpenter (right now)

"We can let someone "not-so-good" make Hawkman because it won't be that good anyway" What a weird opinion!